Big news at Real Madrid
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti announced in a press conference that Thibaut Courtois will return to the starting lineup.
Thibaut Courtois will play against Cádiz, making his return in the first game where Real Madrid has a chance to clinch the LaLiga EA Sports title, as confirmed by coach Carlo Ancelotti. He also revealed that Andriy Lunin will remain as the starting goalkeeper in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern.
"Thibu is fine. He will play tomorrow after a long time," Ancelotti said in a press conference, confirming the Belgian's first game of the season after overcoming two knee injuries.
"It's great news for us that he's back, just like Militao. I think he can contribute what he has always contributed. He is in great shape, and he's very excited. We are all delighted that he's back," he added.
Ancelotti will evaluate Courtois's condition game by game and didn't want to speculate about what might happen in the Champions League final, should Real Madrid advance past the semi-finals. For now, he confirmed that Ukrainian Lunin will start against Bayern at the Santiago Bernabéu.
"The final we have in mind is Wednesday's game against Bayern. Lunin will play, and then we will see," he confessed. "We're not thinking about whether Courtois can play in a hypothetical final. We're not thinking about what might happen in a month. The final is on Wednesday. Hopefully, we can think about it because that would mean we reached the final in London," he said.
When asked about Courtois's chances compared to those of Brazilian Éder Militao, who returned earlier from the same knee injury, Ancelotti distinguished between the two cases.
"The injury is similar. A player recovers well physically after seven or eight months, but what they're missing is the ability to read the game, which differs between a defender and a goalkeeper. Each one needs time to adapt in their own way; one might be ready sooner, and the other later. Physically, they are doing well, have been medically cleared, and then there are the on-field decisions we need to evaluate," he concluded.
